Manchester United was knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship side Middlesbrough, who rallied from behind to win a nail-biting 16-shot penalty shootout at Old Trafford.
Anthony Elanga’s shot ballooned over the bar to give Chris Wilder’s team a victory that was joyfully welcomed by the 9,000-strong visiting crowd.
Middlesbrough advanced for the second time in 11 Premier League matches, following their equally surprise victory over Manchester City in 2015.
United will protest Middlesbrough’s disputed equalizer, which was scored by Matt Crooks despite Duncan Watmore’s evident handling in the build-up.
They only had themselves to blame for missing multiple opportunities in a game in which they had 30 shots on goal, the most glaring of which came when Cristiano Ronaldo missed a first-half penalty.
Jadon Sancho appeared to have set United on the path to the last 16 with a goal on his FA Cup debut.
Rather than that, United’s greatest realistic prospect of silverware has vanished.
